Cheyenne Regional
Medical Center is the first and only hospital in Wyoming to offer two medical
imaging procedures that can help confirm Parkinson’s disease and suspected
prostate cancer recurrence.

DaTscan is a
noninvasive imaging test that can differentiate Parkinson’s disease and
parkinsonian syndrome from an unrelated condition known as essential tremor.
Essential tremor results in a noticeable tremor that can mimic the symptoms of
parkinsonian syndrome, which includes Parkinson’s disease, multiple system
atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy.

DaTscan is
administered by injecting the patient with a trace amount of an imaging agent
and then having the patient undergo a SPECT scan. The test confirms if proteins
affiliated with having parkinsonian syndrome are present in the patient’s
brain.

“It can be
challenging to differentiate parkinsonian syndrome from other conditions, such
as essential tremor,” said Casey Robinson, director of Cheyenne Regional’s
medical imaging department. “While the symptoms are similar, treatment and
prognosis differ greatly. Having another diagnostic tool to help physicians
distinguish these conditions can be tremendously helpful in reaching an
appropriate and timely diagnosis for patients.”

Axumin is used to
detect and pinpoint recurrent prostate cancer through the use of a “tracer”
imaging agent that concentrates inside cancerous tumor cells. When the patient
undergoes a PET/CT scan, the tracer shows up inside the cancer cells.

“Both of these
tests are potential game-changers for patients seeking more timely and accurate
diagnoses and treatment for these two conditions,” Robinson said.

In the case of
prostate cancer, elevated blood levels of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
can indicate that the cancer has returned.

“With the use of
standard imaging technology, it can be hard to detect where the cancer is and
if it’s spread,” Robinson said.

Axumin can be used
to detect cancer and locate its presence in the body, even at relatively low
PSA levels, “providing the advantage of time and accuracy for treating the patient,”
Robinson said.

The other
advantage is that Axumin can detect recurrent prostate cancer in multiple areas
of the body with the use of only one medical
imaging scan.

According
to the Wyoming Department of Health, prostate cancer is the most diagnosed
cancer in Wyoming. Additionally, up to one-third of men treated for primary
prostate cancer will have a recurrence within 10 years, and one-third of those
men will develop metastatic disease within eight years.

More than a dozen
men have undergone the Axumin test at Cheyenne
Regional since the hospital began offering the test late last spring.

“We know of
several recurrent prostate cancer patients who traveled out of state to have
the Axumin procedure done,” Robinson said. “Thanks to the support of our
executives, medical staff and medical imaging leadership, this important test
is now available to our patients, close to home.”

DaTscan is another
diagnostic test that Wyoming patients recently had to travel out of state to
receive.

“It was important
for us to make this test available locally to ensure our community and region
have in-state access to vital medical care,” Robinson said.

More than 1,400
Wyoming residents have Parkinson’s disease, and nearly 1 million people will be
living with Parkinson’s disease in the United States by the year 2020.